Bishop Will Push Ecumenical Activity Among Blacks

Bishop Vinton Anderson of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first black American to be elected a president of the World Council of Churches, says he hopes to use his influence to encourage an ecumenical agenda within the black churches.

Anderson was chosen to serve as one of the council’s eight presidents at the organization’s Feb. 7-20 assembly in Canberra, Australia. He discussed the challenges facing him as the designated North American representative in an interview conducted shortly after his return home.

Anderson, who oversees AME congregations in 14 states west of the Mississippi River, has focused on ecumenical affairs during much of his career. But he said the black churches in general have not “invested a great deal in ecumenism.”

Although Anderson said he views his new position as an opportunity to encourage ecumenical activity in the black churches, he emphasized that his vision as a council president will have to be broad, extending well beyond the black churches.

His duties, Anderson said, will include “playing an ambassadorial role in different parts of the world, representing the World Council on certain issues, maybe going to Rome.”

“This puts me in a position to encourage unity among the churches and to work for peace and justice,” said Anderson, who maintains homes and offices in both University City, a St. Louis suburb, and Los Angeles.

In December, Anderson was among a group of 18 high-ranking U.S. church leaders who made a “peace pilgrimage” to the Middle East, a trip coordinated by the National Council of Churches. Upon their return, the leaders issued a joint statement strongly opposing the use of force in the Gulf.

“I hope that the United States will use its influence now to institute international peace,” Anderson said.

He stressed that attention must focus also on other hot spots in the Middle East, such as Lebanon, Cyprus and the territories occupied by Israel.

Anderson, 53, has extensive experience in the ecumenical arena. He has headed the World Council’s liaison committee for black churches in the United States, has served on the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches, and has been the ecumenical officer of his own denomination.